Your Pets Daily - Vets Now

Dog's life saved by a doorbell camera

Jessica Curtis — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0000

An adorable puppy called Cody came within millimetres of losing his life after a garden stone he swallowed got stuck behind his vocal cords.

The three-centimetre-long triangular stone blocked Cody's larynx – making it sound like he had a bad cough when in fact he was gasping for air with only the tiniest space either side of the stone for oxygen to pass through.

By a miraculous stroke of luck Collie Cody's swallowing of the stone was caught on owner Claire Roy's doorbell camera. Otherwise, neither she nor vet Sasha Burns Fraser, who saved Cody's life, would have known what had happened because the stone was so hidden away.

One-year-old Cody's medical drama began in early evening when he was out in Claire's front garden playing one of his favourite games: flicking ornamental stones from Claire's flowerbeds onto her drive.

Normally boisterous Cody came in from the garden choking and gagging and Claire could tell immediately that something was terribly wrong. Quick-thinking Claire checked her doorbell camera footage to see if she could get any clues – and saw that Cody had picked up a stone and then swallowed it.

With poor Cody panting and making a distressing rasping sound from his throat, Claire, 37 from Newtownards, County Down, called pet emergency service Vets Now for help.

Able to feel a solid lump in Cody's throat, and seeing the urgency in his eyes, Claire lifted Cody so his head was pointed towards the ground, and firmly struck his back as one would do with a choking toddler, but to no avail. Claire moved to try the Heimlich manoeuvre, but this also failed.

With Claire's husband David having rushed back from an outing to watch their three young children, Claire and friend Peter bundled Cody into the car and rushed him to the Vets Now 24-hour hospital in Belfast.

Claire said: "It was only a 20-minute journey – but it felt like the fastest and at the same time slowest drive I've ever done... every minute felt like an eternity. Peter came with me to hold Cody while I drove – and it was heartbreaking seeing him there in his lap on the passenger seat wheezing and making this awful hacking noise.

"I could see Cody fading with each minute, becoming quieter and sliding further down Peter's chest. It was beyond terrifying. I really thought my dog was going to die. When we got to Vets Now, we burst through the door and I practically threw Cody at the poor receptionist, who immediately rushed him straight through to the vet team."

Principal vet Sasha said: "Claire said she felt something solid in Cody's throat, but when we examined him, we could no longer feel this structure. Wondering whether he had swallowed it and irritated his airway causing the cough, we opted to sedate him to have a thorough look to see where it might have ended up.

"And if it hadn't been for the doorbell footage, we might initially have thought that it was just a case of kennel cough, which was doing the rounds and can result in a really rasping cough. But because Claire had had the presence of mind to check the camera, we knew he'd definitely swallowed the stone and it was just a question of finding it.

"So, we began looking down his throat after sedation kicked in and there it was to my astonishment hidden in his vocal cords - and leaving just the tiniest, tiniest airway for him to breathe. It was a life-threatening situation, and I was actually amazed that he hadn't gone blue from lack of oxygen given how little air was getting through."

"Every second is really critical in a case like this, so I got the team to hold Cody with his mouth pointing down. Then I got a very long pair of forceps to reach down into the larynx and very carefully prised out the stone from where it was wedged."

"This really must be one of the first ever cases of a dog's life being saved by a doorbell camera – because without that footage we might not have known about the stone until it was too late."

Once Sasha and her team were sure the stone had not done any other damage Cody was able to go home – tail wagging but a little tired still from his sedation.

Claire said: "He's such a buoyant character – it didn't take him long to bounce back. In fact, when he got home, he wanted to go back out to play with the stones again."

"He is the funniest, dopiest dog. We've got chickens in our back garden, and he's actually scared of them – when it should be the other way round. And sometimes I think that he thinks he's a cat – he jumps onto your shoulder when you're not expecting it and suddenly there's this 17kg weight landing on you out of nowhere."

"Cody's a really big part of our family and I couldn't imagine life in the house without him. But I honestly felt on that journey to Vets Now that Cody might be dying in slow-motion. It was awful and we're all really grateful to Sasha and her team for getting him back to us safe and sound."

"When Sasha came running out to show me the stone and tell me where she'd found it, I don't know who was more surprised: me or her! And I have to say: that doorbell camera really has been worth its weight in gold."

Sasha added: "If your dog comes in from the garden or back from a walk and something seems to be wrong, please do what Claire did and seek veterinary help straightaway."

"And that's especially important at this time of year in spring when dogs are spending more time outside because the weather's getting better and when it's getting lighter in the evenings."

Vets Now is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, with clinics across the UK.

If you're unsure whether your pet needs veterinary treatment, you can book an online video consultation with Video Vets Now. If you know for certain your pet has eaten something toxic, however, do not delay, call your daytime vet or your local emergency clinic.

For more helpful pet owner advice and information, or to find your nearest clinic, visit Vets-now.com.

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Vets issue urgent warning to pet owners ahead of Easter weekend - with just a handful of Cadbury’s Mini Eggs enough to be life-threatening for your dog

Jessica Curtis — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Just six Cadbury's Mini Eggs or one small chocolate egg could be enough to cause harm to your dog this Easter weekend, vets have warned.

The UK's leading emergency vets, Vets Now, has revealed that they saw a 95% increase in cases over the Easter weekend, with an 85% increase in chocolate-related cases compared to the previous week.

With Easter fast approaching, many of us will be looking forward to relaxing over the four-day weekend and indulging in some delicious, chocolatey treats.

It's estimated that, as a nation, we buy between 80-90m Easter eggs every year. But whilst the holiday can be a joyful period of celebration with friends and family, it's important for pet owners to remember that as chocolate can be toxic for our dogs and dangerous for cats, it's vital to keep it out of reach. 

Dave Leicester, Head of Telehealth at Vets Now, said:

"Unfortunately, we see a big rise in chocolate toxicity cases at Easter and it shows owners can never be too careful.

"Our advice is always to keep chocolate treats well away from your dog. As long as it's treated early and there's been no organ damage, the prognosis for chocolate toxicity is generally good. But we'd like to help pet owners avoid a trip to the emergency room over Easter."

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which is poisonous and highly toxic for both dogs and cats. How toxic depends on the amount of chocolate your pet has consumed and smaller dogs or puppies face a higher risk due to their size. Dark chocolate and high % cocoa chocolate usually poses the highest danger but theobromine can still be found in milk chocolate.

Cadbury's Mini Eggs may be a popular Easter snack but a family-sized 270g bag is enough to cause toxicity in a medium sized (12-25kg) dog. It could also cause serious problems for small breeds weighing between 5 to 12kg.

A standard small bag at 80g could be a serious threat for toy breeds or puppies weighing 5kg or less - with as few as 6 mini eggs enough to potentially cause toxicity.

With the average chocolate Easter eggshell containing between 90 to 200g of milk chocolate, that on its own is enough to cause toxicity in medium-sized dogs and smaller dogs. A dark chocolate egg poses a much higher risk and even just 90g could be toxic for large dogs weighing 25 kg or more. With small breeds or puppies, that quantity could be life-threatening.

Dogs are at a higher risk, because they are more likely to eat chocolate, but cats can still suffer from chocolate toxicity, so vets advise that it's avoided in all quantities.

The first signs of chocolate poisoning to look out for are:

Restlessness
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Excessive thirst

If untreated, these clinical signs may develop into hyperactivity, tremors, abnormal heart rate, hyperthermia, and rapid breathing. In severe cases, dogs may even experience fits and heartbeat irregularities and some cases can result in coma or death."

To help concerned pet owners deal with cases of suspected chocolate poisoning, Vets Now has developed an online chocolate toxicity calculator to work out whether your dog has eaten a potentially toxic amount. Simply put in your dog's weight or size, the type of chocolate they ate and an estimation of the amount.

A good tip is to look for wrappers or foil to guess how much has been consumed.

Vets Now is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, with clinics across the UK.

For more helpful pet owner advice and information, or to find your nearest clinic, visit www.vets-now.com.

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Valentine's Day dash to vets after puppy eats tray of Dairy Box

Jessica Curtis — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Dog owner Shannon Morgan devised an ingenious way of hiding her Valentine's Day chocolates from her mischievous Cockapoo puppy called Belle.

Shannon slid the large Nestle Dairy Box under her sofa into a place she knew that 11-month-old Belle couldn't get access. There was only one problem: adorable Belle was one step ahead of her and somehow managed to tunnel under the sofa while Shannon was out briefly.

Super-clever Belle used her paws and nose to gently bring the box back out – then managed to remove the packaging and rip the lid open. Then she set about demolishing one-by-one the upper tray of the Dairy Box's contents, wolfing down around 250g of the ten assorted flavours.

And Shannon came home last Valentine's night to the sight of little Belle sat at the scene of the crime giving her puppy dog eyes and what looked like a sneaky smile.

Shannon, aware of how toxic even small amounts of chocolate can be for dogs, immediately raised the alarm with pet emergency service Vets Now. And within a few minutes Belle was admitted to Vets Now's out-of-hours clinic in Newport, Gwent.

The team gave Belle medicine to make her sick which successfully removed a life-threateningly large amount of liquid chocolate without the need further treatment. An hour or so later, a slightly subdued Belle was well enough again to go back with Shannon to her home in Caerphilly and was back to her normal perky stuff a couple of days later.

Now Shannon is urging other dog owners to be super-alert to the possibility of chocolate mishaps around Valentine's Day.

Shannon said: "This was our first experience of a dog medical emergency – and, while everyone at Vets Now was incredibly kind and caring, I wouldn't want anyone else to suffer the stress and anxiety we went through."

"I appreciate it all seems quite funny now – but it wasn't at the time, and I was genuinely worried we could lose Belle, quite apart from the fact that rushing my dog into emergency care was just about the last thing I wanted to be doing for Valentine's Day – or any other day for that matter."

"The chocolates were my Valentine's present from my partner Jake, and I didn't want to leave them anywhere where Belle could possibly get at them while I popped out. So, I thought wedging the box well under sofa was the best hiding spot – based on the fact that every time Belle's ball goes under there she cries because she can't get it."

"But I guess dogs are like humans and can get driven mad by the smell of chocolate – and because of that she has somehow managed to prod, push and slide out the box using her paws and then she's used her nose to nudge it along."

"You have to hand it to Belle – she's very clever and very persistent! I was only out for about half an hour, but she ate the entire top tray of chocolates and was probably about to start on the bottom tray too."

"This Valentine's I'll be making sure that any chocolate I get is put on top of the kitchen cupboards and locked away where Belle will never get hold of it. And I'd definitely advise other dog owners to do the same – put the chocolate under lock and key!"

"We've had Belle since she was eight weeks old, and we named her after the Disney princess. She's a huge part of my life, she gets on brilliantly with our cats Percy and Peppa and I just can't imagine life without her."

Owain Davies lead out of hours vet at Vets Now emergency clinic in Newport said "Shannon was absolutely right to call us straightaway – and it's really important that she did because we were able to treat Belle before she'd begun to digest the chocolate. Time really does matter in any toxicity case."

"People might think it's strange that a treat for humans like chocolate could be so dangerous for dogs – but it's all due to a chemical in chocolate called theobromine which is harmless for us humans but toxic for canines. So please do seek veterinary help straightaway if your dog eats any."

Vets Now is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, with clinics across the UK. If you're unsure whether your pet needs veterinary treatment, you can book an online video consultation with Video Vets Now.

You can also use Vets Now helpful online chocolate calculator to work out whether your dog may have eaten a potentially toxic amount, https://www.vets-now.com/dog-chocolate-toxicity-calculator/.

To find your nearest clinic, visit www.vets-now.com.

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Incredible photos show how puppy nearly died after being impaled by stick

Your Pets Daily Editor — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 08:37:02 +0000

Vets performed emergency surgery on Roxy to remove the massive branch

A miracle puppy escaped death by millimetres when a 2ft tree branch ripped through her leg and came out the other side.

These incredible pictures show the inch and a quarter thick branch pointing up to the sky after getting wedged in Roxy the whippet's right hind thigh.

The stick was a just a fraction away from severing a major artery in Roxy's leg — and came to a rest on her sciatic nerve.

Senior veterinary nurse Anna Moran was part of the Vets Now emergency team who somehow managed to surgically remove the stick without damaging either the artery or the nerve.

She says it was one of the most dramatic nights of her 12-year vet nursing career.

Anna, who manages the Vets Now pet emergency clinic in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "In all my time working with animals I've never seen anything quite like this.

"It was a pretty extraordinary case, as the photos show.

"But amazingly, and probably against the odds, our vet Peter was able to remove the stick without doing any harm to Roxy and she was well enough to walk the next morning.

"Roxy's owners thought they were going to lose her but her case shows that even in the bleakest of situations there's always cause for hope if you act quickly."

Roxy suffered the injury while out for a walk in local woods.

While darting in and out of the trees, she somehow managed to land on the branch, which then reared upwards and impaled her.

Despite the injury, brave Roxy managed to drag herself back to a path where her owners found her and scooped her up.

They carried her half a mile to their car and then set off immediately for the Vets Now emergency clinic where Anna, Peter and their team anaesthetised Roxy before cutting the branch at both sides.

Then they began the nerve-wracking task of prising out the remainder – knowing that if it snapped the consequences could be serious.

Fortunately, they were able to remove it whole and then went to work to flush out pieces of bark from the entry and exit wounds.

Roxy was kept in overnight for observation — and much to Anna's surprise she recovered quicker than expected.

The next morning Roxy was transferred to her daytime vets before being allowed home.

Within days she was back to her normal self – doing "zoomies", which is running at high speed in ever decreasing circles with her tail wagging frantically, and sniffing out food at a hundred paces.

Anna said: "We're all so pleased that Roxy has made such a good recovery, she was a lovely little character who made a big impression on us all.

"The branch had penetrated through the quadriceps, very narrowly missing a major artery and had come to rest right up against the sciatic nerve prior to exiting the caudal aspect of the thigh.

"What an incredible escape she's had! She's a very lucky and very brave puppy."

All of Vets Now's premises always have a vet and vet nurse on site.

Vets Now also offers an online video consultation service to make professional veterinary advice more easily available.

While the service is not suitable for life-threatening emergencies, experienced vets are available to discuss any worries or concerns you might have.

If your pet needs an in-person follow-up appointment at any vet practice, Vets Now will refund the online consultation fee, so you never pay twice.

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Husky 'brought back from the dead' by vet after heart stop scare

Your Pets Daily Editor — Wed, 12 May 2021 17:15:43 +0000

Emergency vet Susana praised for resuscitating Heidi

Meet Heidi, the miracle dog who came back from the dead.

Loveable husky Heidi collapsed at home and her heart stopped on the way to a Vets Now pet emergency clinic.

But, against all the odds, a vet brought her back to life — performing CPR as she lay lifeless in a car, her body rigid, her pupils dilated.

And now, remarkably, 12-year-old Heidi has made a full recovery.

The drama began when Heidi took unwell at home on Mother's Day and slumped to the floor, gasping for breath and unable to move.

Heidi was still breathing when owner Rachel Armstrong set off for Vets Now in Hull — a drive of just 10 minutes.

But by the time she arrived the much-loved pet had no pulse and her breathing had stopped.

After Rachel shouted desperately for help, senior vet Susana Jauregui came rushing out of the clinic.

Wearing her full PPE kit, Susana went to the car Heidi had arrived in and carried out three sets of emergency compressions, pushing down with her hands on Heidi's chest to try and get her heart restarted.

After each set, and with distraught Rachel getting more and more distressed, there was still no heartbeat to be detected.

But determined not to give up, Susana, crouching in the car boot, tried again, and this time it worked.

Susana detected a heartbeat — faint, weak, but a heartbeat nonetheless.

Then she climbed out of the car and, helped by veterinary nurse Emer Holtby, Susana scooped Heidi, who weighs 32kg, into her arms.

Aided by Emer, Susana carried Heidi into the clinic past a crowd of well-wishers who had gathered to see what was going on.

Susana said: "Once we got Heidi into the clinic, we placed a tube, connected to an oxygen machine, into her windpipe to get air to her vital organs.

"Then we gave her one more round of compressions. We finally obtained a more spontaneous heartbeat, and Heidi began breathing as well.

"Next we administered fluids and ran some tests.

"We identified it was very likely a hypocalcaemia which had caused her cardiac arrest. Hypocalcaemia is calcium deficiency, sometimes caused by gland failure, which can lead to tremors or collapse.

"We gave her calcium and after being on oxygen for an hour she started to regain consciousness."

Susana and Emer kept Heidi under observation overnight and the next morning, with Heidi's condition slowly improving, she was transferred to her daytime vet practice for further tests before being declared well enough to go home.

Rachel said: "I can honestly say this was the longest 24 hours of my life.

"This all happened on Mother's Day — my first Mother's Day with my little girl Hannah — and I was stood outside the clinic in floods of tears while Susana tried to start Heidi's heart.

"I've had Heidi since she was four when I adopted her from the Siberian Husky Welfare Association and the fact she's a rescue dog makes me care about her even more.

"The thought of losing her is just too heartbreaking to bear.

"I never thought I would be able to have kids — so until Hannah came along Heidi was my baby.

"And now Hannah's here, Heidi watches over her like she's her protector. It's like the two of them have a got bond together.

"I was warned there was a high chance of possible brain damage to Heidi because her brain had been without oxygen - but luckily that's not happened.

"We're still not totally sure what caused Heidi's collapse in the first place and she's still due to have some more tests.

"But the main thing is that she's totally fine and that's because of Susana, who did such an amazing job bringing Heidi back to life.

"Thank you Susana, if it wasn't for you, Heidi wouldn't be here today."

Susana said: "We're so pleased Heidi has recovered totally from her ordeal. It was one of the most dramatic days of my career — and it's not a day I'm going to forget in a hurry."

All of Vets Now's premises always have a vet and vet nurse on site.

The pet emergency experts also offer an online video consultation service to make professional veterinary advice more easily available.

While the service is not suitable for life-threatening emergencies, like Heidi's, Vets Now's experienced vets are available to discuss any worries or concerns you might have.

If your pet needs an in-person follow-up appointment at any vet practice, Vets Now will refund the online consultation fee, so you never pay twice.

CPR instructors

All of Vets Now's clinical staff undergo CPR training in their clinics every six months.

Dozens of vets and vet nurses are also certified instructors of veterinary CPR.

In a weekend-long training workshop just before lockdown, 26 clinicians learned evidence-based techniques for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and were given training on instructing others on how to perform the procedure.

Those who took part are now Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) certified, and BLS and ALS instructor certified.

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